Strange Confession
by Amalia Autumn
Summary: Late one night, Maes Hughes receives a strange confession from a normally good man...


It was precisely two-fifty-eight in the morning when Officer Hughes awoke from his deep sleep to the sound of feverish knocking two rooms away. It took him a while, he got up rather slowly, grumpily, wondering who the hell would be visiting at a time like this. He brushed his jet-black hair with his fingers and put his thin glasses on, and he kicked off the covers and began his trek to his apartment door.

There was even more knocking when Hughes was about a few inches away from the door. "All right, I'm coming, hold on..." he mumbled irritably as he undid the two locks above the doorknob. He kept the chain up, however, and his eyes widened in surprise at who was at the door.

Edward Elric stood at the door, his golden hair tied in a messy ponytail, his clothes rumpled, and in his gloved hands he held a tiny bundle which was, as Hughes took a closer look, his long brown trenchcoat. He looked dirty, like he'd been in a wrestling match in the mud. His usually bright and gleaming golden eyes (which somehow reminded Hughes of a lion's eyes; determined, focused) were dull and empty.

"By God, Ed, what brings you? You look as if you've seen the devil himself!" Hughes exclaimed, undoing the chain and opening the door wider to let him in. Slowly, Edward walked in, still holding his coat in a tight ball.

"I'm sorry I came so late. I just had to speak with you, Officer."

There was something terribly wrong with Ed's voice. Ed spoke quickly, he was straightforward and wasn't at all ambiguous. This time, however, he seemed...hesitant. Almost afraid to utter even a sound.

Hughes closed the door behind him, and gestured to the sofas in the living room as he turned the lights on, "Sit."

Edward was also taking his sweet time absorbing Hughes' words. Another strange occurence.

"Want some tea?" Hughes asked before he sat across from Ed.

"...No. I don't want anything. Thank you." Ed's body was here, his voice spoke directly to Hughes, but his eyes stared out endlessly into space. Hughes was getting a bit uncomfortable, he had to admit. Edward looked as if he was completely insane.

Hughes' gaze went to the ball Ed held on his lap. Besides the brown, there was also something else...a crimson liquid--

"Ed, is that blood?!?!" Hughes didn't even let his mind register the fact that it _was _blood.

Ed jumped a little at Hughes' sudden outburst, but he regained composure rather quickly and he replied, "Yes, blood."

"God, Ed, what the hell happened? Are you bleeding? Did you get in an accident? Ed, tell me what the hell is--!"

"It's not my blood."

He said it so slowly, so _calmly _that Hughes almost thought he was going to vomit all over. Slowly, Edward unfolded his coat and revealed the bloody mess that was splayed carelessly all over it. His gloves were rather red as well.

Hughes stared in shock, although this wasn't entirely new to him. It was if a child wanted to paint and just threw a can of red paint all over the coat. A pit formed in the police officer's stomach. Swallowing, he asked,

"Ed...what the hell are you doing here?"

Edward bunched up his coat again and blinked, his eyes meeting Hughes'. Then, he answered,

"I need you to arrest me, Hughes."

Hughes was beyond confused, "What for?"

Edward chuckled, but it wasn't a teasing laugh, a sarcastic laugh, or a generally happy one. It was dry, filled with restrained emotion. Then he replied,

"I'll just start at the beginning."

Hughes nodded, "That would be best." he said seriously.

Ed took a deep breath, clenching his fists and burying them into the mass of brown and red on his lap, "Al and I were heading back from the university."

Hughes nodded.

"It was late, about midnight. About the time you got back from your dinner with Gracia tonight."

Hughes turned a vivid shade of pink, but he didn't notice.

"There was a man. Followed us."

Hughes had a sneaky suspicion of where this was going.

"Attacked Al."

Hughes clung to the armrests of the chair he was in, silently dreading what Ed was about to say next. He was being very vague, but at the same time very straightforward. It was almost scary.

"Al's in the hospital now, he's not awake, so he doesn't know...no one knows...not yet..."

"Edward." Hughes could only utter one word, and he chose Ed's full name.

"I thought Al was dead. I...I got angry...I attacked the man..."

His eyes began to shine with unshed tears, and his body slowly began to shake.

"...I...I took the knife he used to injure Al..."

Hughes' eyes widened. He already knew.

"...and I killed him," Ed buried his face in his hands, his voice cracking as he quietly sobbed, "I killed him...I--I only meant to stab once--but...I stabbed him over and over, even after I stopped hearing his breathing..."

The only sound in that room for a long time was Ed's quiet sobbing.

Edward Elric? A murderer? Twenty-three years old, good man, good speaker in the university? Hughes sighed. Perhaps he was also the type who would do anything for his brother. Love made you do the craziest things, including murder, if the occasion called for it.

But for the first time, Hughes didn't know what to do. He didn't know whether to comfort Ed or to fear him.

Whether to let him go free or arrest him.

"What..." Hughes spoke quickly.

Ed looked up, his face stained with tear tracks down his cheeks.

"What do you want to do, Ed?"

Ed remained quiet.

"Do you really want to spend twenty years, maybe even life, in jail? Or do you want me to let you go?"

"I...I want to pay for my actions...but..."

Hughes waited.

"...but I don't want to leave Al out there on his own."

Hughes sighed, thinking over everything he'd read in law books.

Technically, the man attacked first, so wouldn't Edward go free, let the murder be considered self-defense?

But no, it was still murder.

Hughes was stuck.

Ed apparently made his decision, because held up both his hands, and he bit his lower lip, "...Cuff me."

Hughes paused.

He would've personally have rather let Ed go. He was a friend. A good friend.

But Ed had a conscience. Ed would rather pay the price.

He sighed, and took out his handcuffs and obeyed Ed's plea. He then spoke, hiding his remorse,

"Edward Elric, you're under arrest for murder. I must ask you not to move and I will take you to the station down the road."

Ed nodded.

"What do you want me to tell Al?"

"...tell him I'm sorry."

**Rather dark. This was set after the movie, for those who were a bit baffled. I apologize for the rather vague ending, I just may write a sequel, I'm not sure. I got this idea because well, technically, Ed has never truly killed anyone, and the only time he would, I feel, is when his brother is in danger. I also thought of how Ed would react to himself if he murdered a man. It took a while to get this done, though, because I wasn't sure how Hughes would react. **


End file.
